From Delhi’s Parks to Portugal’s Football Factories: Ativeer Jain’s Pursuit of the European Dream

Ativeer in action in Portugal

The journey began with a film shoot.

In 2017, when most Indian teenagers were worrying about school exams and weekend plans, 13-year-old Ativeer Jain was asking his father for something entirely different. Alok Jain, then an actor in the South Indian film industry, was travelling to Lisbon for the shooting of a film. His football-obsessed son had only one request.

“Try and see Benfica Stadium or Sporting Stadium when you can.”

What followed would alter the course of the young midfielder’s life.

Armed with videos of Ativeer playing youth football in Delhi, his father casually showed them to people he met during the shoot. In Portugal, where football is woven into the fabric of everyday life, one contact led to another. Before long, the clips had reached people connected to professional clubs.

“Portugal is a country of just 10 million people,” Ativeer says. “Someone always knows someone who knows someone in football.”

The verdict from those who watched the footage was encouraging. The teenager had promise. He was invited to Portugal for trials.

Nearly a decade later, Ativeer is back in India for the summer, evaluating offers from clubs across Portugal while several ISL teams also monitor his situation. At 22, the defensive midfielder has already experienced professional football in one of Europe’s most respected footballing ecosystems, represented clubs including UD Vilafranquense, Estrela da Amadora and FC Alverca, and built a career path rarely travelled by Indian footballers.

Yet, what makes Ativeer’s story fascinating is not simply that he plays in Europe. It is what his experience reveals about the enormous gap between football development in India and countries like Portugal.

Football in Portugal is not merely a sport. It is an industry, a culture and, perhaps most importantly, a system.

“It all stems down from the structure,” says Ativeer.

The difference becomes visible from the moment children enter organised football. While young Indian players often spend years training without meaningful competitions, Portuguese youngsters grow up in a pyramid designed around matches. Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 leagues are organised across multiple divisions, complete with promotion and relegation.

“If you are competing week in, week out from the age of 13, by the time you are 18 or 19, you’ve racked up 200 or 300 games under your belt,” he explains.

The impact goes beyond technical development.

Matchday action

“In India, I used to go to training to improve myself. Over there, they go to training to compete on Sunday. Everything is built around winning games.”

That competitive culture becomes ingrained early. Coaches tailor sessions according to opponents. Tactical preparation starts days before matches. Recovery sessions are planned with precision. Young footballers learn how to manage pressure before they even reach adulthood.

The result is a conveyor belt that continues to produce elite talent despite Portugal’s modest population.

Ativeer experienced that culture firsthand during his first trip to the country. Among the clubs he trialled with was Sporting CP, the academy that helped shape Cristiano Ronaldo. At the youth level, he shared the field with players who have since progressed through the European system.

While interest from clubs existed, regulations prevented him from signing immediately. European rules surrounding non-European minors meant a permanent move was not feasible unless the entire family relocated. The dream was delayed.

Then came COVID-19.

Four years passed between that first trial and his eventual return to Portugal.

When he finally made it back at 17, he was simultaneously completing the International Baccalaureate programme at The British School in New Delhi while pursuing professional football opportunities abroad.

“It was very tough juggling IB and football,” he recalls.

The effort paid off. He earned a place with UD Vilafranquense’s Under-19 side, becoming one of the very few Indians to break into a first-division youth setup in Europe.

But football rarely follows a straight path.

“In pre-season itself, I got a very bad knee injury.”

The injury sidelined him for almost eight months and effectively wiped out an entire season.

“I thought that’s where my trajectory takes off. But there were other plans.”

For many young players, such a setback after years of sacrifice would have been crushing. Yet, recovery became another lesson in the realities of European football. Nobody was going to wait for him. Places had to be earned again.

That competitiveness, he believes, is what separates European football from most developing football nations.

“Your biggest fight will be in the locker room,” he says. “If I’m a central defensive midfielder and the guy next to me is also a central defensive midfielder, we’re fighting for the same spot. Every day you’re trying to prove to the coach that you deserve to be there.”

After recovering, he joined Estrela da Amadora before moving to FC Alverca, where the 2024-25 season finally brought continuity. He featured 25 times for their Under-23 side, becoming the player with the most appearances in the squad.

For a defensive midfielder, his return of two goals and three assists represented steady progress. One strike, in particular, remains unforgettable.

“I received the ball with my right foot, shifted it onto my left and hit it into the top corner.”

The goal was eventually voted the club’s Goal of the Season.

“It sort of encapsulated all the years of hard work.”

His teammates’ reaction remains one of his favourite memories.

“They were holding their heads because they weren’t expecting me to do that with my left foot.”

Life away from matchdays offers another glimpse into why Portuguese clubs continue to develop talent so effectively.

A typical day begins early. Breakfast is taken at the training centre. Physiotherapists, nutritionists, analysts and coaches are all available. Training sessions are complemented by video analysis, recovery work and gym programmes. Every aspect of performance is monitored.

“You have basically everything at your beck and call so that you can just focus on football.”

Perhaps most revealing is his assessment of coaching.

“One thing we are lacking in India is coaches. In Portugal, every other person knows enough football to coach. There’s a huge coaching culture.”

For Indian footballers considering a move abroad, however, the reality is not always glamorous. Financially, lower-division European football often cannot compete with the salaries available in India.

Ativeer acknowledges as much.

“If you’re in the third or fourth division in Portugal, you won’t get similar pay.”

Yet, he remains convinced that ambitious young players should prioritise development over earnings during their formative years.

“If you can push past it and learn the European way of football, there’s nothing like it.”

Being Indian in Europe also comes with its own challenges. While acceptance generally depends on ability rather than nationality, stereotypes do exist.

“You may have to work that bit harder to prove yourself.”

Football, however, tends to simplify matters.

“If you’re a good player, you’re a good player. Then your nationality doesn’t matter.”

Now, with his contract cycle complete and fresh opportunities emerging, Ativeer faces another important decision. Clubs from Portugal’s first and second divisions have shown interest. Teams from India’s ISL have also made approaches.

For now, his choice appears clear.

“My objective is definitely to stay in Europe.”

His long-term ambitions extend beyond club football.

Despite becoming eligible to explore Portuguese citizenship in the future, Ativeer has no interest in changing allegiances.

“I don’t want to do that because one of my dreams is to play for India.”

He has yet to receive a national-team call-up. But the dream remains intact.

“I do want to see India in the World Cup. I do want to play with India in the World Cup.”

For someone who has spent years immersed in one of football’s most efficient development systems, the conviction comes from experience rather than sentiment.

In action

India, he believes, possesses the talent. What it lacks is the structure.

“We are a country of 1.4 billion people. I think the whole football world has been waiting for India to rise for a long time. I think with the right structure, with the right players, we can do that.”

For now, Ativeer Jain waits for the next contract. But his story already offers something valuable. It is proof that Indian footballers can survive, compete and develop in Europe’s demanding football environment.

And perhaps more importantly, it serves as a reminder that India’s football future may depend less on finding the next superstar and more on building the kind of system that Portugal perfected long ago.

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